


He Lost His Chance

by strawnilla



Series: Pirate AU [1]
Category: Inazuma Eleven GO
Genre: Canons, Fight over the rich kid, M/M, Multi, Nobleman, Oh and Also, Pirates, a bit - Freeform, hints - Freeform, kidnap, kiss, laughs at you haha, more or less, ships, sword fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 13:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2192724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawnilla/pseuds/strawnilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How far would you go for your loved one? As far as what the horizon brings you? As far as the tip of a blade? Or as far as the noose and gallows?</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Lost His Chance

**Author's Note:**

> i decided to post this old thing here. let's hope i actually finish the rest of the fics in this au

* * *

Devastated, when he heard from the witnesses of what had happened.

Angered, knowing that his love was in the clutches of a dangerous criminal.

Abashed, believing it was his fault he was kidnapped.

Determined, volunteering himself and his crew to save his beloved.

_“Takuto, I’ll find you. No matter how long it takes, I’ll find you and bring you home.”_

* * *

Ichiban Kita sat quietly in his chair in the captain’s cabin. Maps sprawled on the table in front of him, his sword placed neatly beside the mess. The air in the cabin was musky. If he wasn’t used to the rocking of a ship in great tides, he would be dizzy right now. His eyes were closed.  A click from outside made him raise his head. Nishinosora, wet from head to toe, walked in. “Captain?” he called out. “Yes?” Kita stood up from his chair, meeting with the blond face to face. Nishinosora smirked. “We have view of _The Lancelot_.”

* * *

They were caught in a storm and Tsurugi made him sit in the cabin. Shindou wasn’t pleased. He wanted to help; he wanted to be of use. He didn’t want Tsurugi’s crew to think that the captain was giving him special treatment just because he was his lover—even if that was the case. The brunet sighed and closed his eyes. He listened to the shouts from outside, knowing that the crew were now drenched and here he was kept warm and safe by that shitty of a captain, Kyousuke Tsurugi.

The captain of _The Lancelot_ on the other hand, was more than glad he made Shindou wait in the cabin. He didn’t want his precious to get sick with the cold. He gave orders to some of the crew members and steered the ship, trying to get them out of the storm that’ll last for who knows how long. It caught them by surprise and there had been no signs of a storm coming at all. Before they knew it, all members of the crew were now battling to keep the ship afloat.

One of the watchmen climbed down his station with a panicked expression. “Captain! Captain!” he scrambled up to Tsurugi. The captain gave him a confused look. “What’s wrong, Morikawa?” he asked. “There’s a ship headed our way! It’s the navy!” Morikawa shouted over the noise of big waters. Tsurugi frowned and took the telescope from him. Morikawa pointed him from where the other ship was coming from and true to his words, the navy was really chasing after them. Tsurugi knew this was not because they were pirates. Only insane navies would chase after pirates in a storm this horrible. This navy wasn’t here to capture them. This navy ship was here to capture them _and_ save the son of the governor, Takuto Shindou—high class nobleman who he, Captain Kyousuke Tsurugi, had kidnapped.

He gave Morikawa his telescope again and barked orders to the rest of the crew. He had to get them out of there. Even if _The Lancelot_ was the fastest ship in the sea—second only to _Amaterasu_ —the winds were not in their favour and were actually slowing them down. Tsurugi scrambled into the captain’s cabin and when he saw Shindou curled up in a ball on the bed from the cold, he hugged him tightly and didn’t care if the rain had made his clothes wet. Shindou was surprised by this sudden affection—the sudden butt groping Tsurugi always did didn’t actually count—and asked him what was wrong.

Tsurugi looked at him in the eye and kissed him. His hand pulled Shindou closer, afraid of losing him. Shindou could feel something was wrong just from the way that Tsurugi was kissing him. It was longer and more affectionate—not the lusty kisses they usually had.

When they parted, Tsurugi caressed Shindou’s cheek. The look Tsurugi had in his eyes frightened him—it was like Tsurugi was saying goodbye. “Kyousuke, did something happen?” he asked, holding the captain by his wrists. Tsurugi’s face dropped slightly. “Don’t come out, okay?” he pulled away and started for the door. Shindou stood up from the bed and followed him, still demanding an answer. “What’s going on? What’s the reason I can’t go outside now?” he felt a little mad that his lover was hiding something from him and he really wanted some answers. Tsurugi stopped at the door. “Please, hide if anybody other than me or the crew comes in.” Those were his last words before he closed the door and locked it. The brunet stood there for a few moments in confusion, when he heard the familiar sound of a cannonball hitting deck and the battle cries of the crew.

Shindou gasped and tried to open the door. He slammed his fists, demanding to be let out. Nobody outside probably heard him from the commotion. Were they being attacked? By who? Who would attack them in a storm like this? His legs went weak when he suddenly thought of Tsurugi. Is that why he locked him in? Because they were being attacked and Tsurugi didn’t want him to get hurt? Were those eyes really telling him goodbye? He slammed his fists on the door again, harder with each one.

“Kyousuke! Kyousuke, let me out! LET ME OUT!”

* * *

 

The first cannonball barely missed him. Tsurugi clenched his teeth. He withdrew his sword and ordered for his men to prepare their cannons. He didn’t care what happened to him or his ship, as long as Shindou was safe.

“FIRE!” he commanded and the sounds of their cannons exploding echoed through the wind. A battle ignited in the storm between govern and the rogues. Battle cries were filtered by the thunder and rain. More and more men from the navy boarded his ship. Tsurugi moved swiftly amongst his battling crew, bringing down as many navy soldiers as possible. Years of experience with the blade gave him the upper hand, even in a rainy situation like this (only God knows how many times he practiced in the rain when his brother was the captain of _The Lancelot_ ).

He avoided numeral men along his path—that is until he crossed blades with, apparently from the different uniform, the captain of the navy’s ship. The orange haired man looked surprised to see him. “You…!” the navy exclaimed in anger when they locked eyes. Tsurugi raised an eyebrow. Why did he give such a reaction upon seeing him?

They clashed swords and no matter how hard Tsurugi tried to lose him—there wasn’t much room to run to anyway—he would always come back. Orange haired and green eyed and the aura of a proud navy (Tsurugi sensed the aura of a nobleman too), he seemed determined to take Tsurugi down and hang him on the noose. He hated to admit it but whoever this guy was; he was good with his sword. The clings of metal echoed through their ears and throughout the fight both men only focused on each other. With the same ferocity as the storm they’re in, neither men gave up or hesitated in this fight.

By one fateful mistake, Tsurugi took the bait of the navy’s decoy and he ended up on the floorboards, held at gunpoint by the other captain. The shining sword was pressed against his neck. The navy glared holes into his face, his anger and rage apparent.

“Where’s Takuto, you dirty scum?!” the green eyed man yelled into his face. That was when realization came upon Tsurugi, a memory from a fortnight ago with Shindou after making love replayed in his mind.

* * *

 

_“Kyousuke.”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“I was wondering… did you love somebody else before me?”_

_“…”_

_“… Kyousuke?”_

_A smirk. “I did, once. He was a cheerful guy. Brown hair and eyes blue like the ocean—a childhood friend of mine.”_

_“Oh. What happened?”_

_“We fell out of love, I guess. What about you? Pretty sure a nobleman like you had a lass around his finger.”_

_A chuckle. “I wouldn’t say a lass. Remember the day you took me away?”_

_“Hm.”_

_“I was supposed to meet him at the horse stables that day. He’s a good friend of mine. He had orange hair, beautiful green eyes and he’s part of the navy.”_

_“Did you bring this topic up because you want to confess to me that you still love him?” a playful tone._

_A laugh. “Silly. Would I be here in your arms if that was the case?”_

_“Good. Because there’s no way I’m giving up me booty.”_

_“Hey!”_

* * *

 

‘So, this must be the guy,’ Tsurugi thought to himself, forgetting that his life was at stake. A smirk made its way up his features. “My, oh my. Came here to save your precious, _mate_?” he asked. He pushed back a chuckle at how much those green eyes burned when he teased him.

“Don’t play with me, pirate! Where is he?!” his grip on Tsurugi’s collar tightened. The pirate’s smirk only grew. He knew the other didn’t have the guts to kill him, especially when he held the important information of Shindou’s whereabouts. But to hell with it, as if he was going to give that information away. He only hoped that Shindou would listen to him and hide or be smart enough and abandon ship.

“I don’t know, _good sir_. Your efforts of chasing after this ship might be wasted. After all, some people would pay a handsome price for a good looking slave like him.” Tsurugi was amused. The general was taking the bait. He could literally see how angry he was making him. But all colour drained from his face when the general raised his sword. Maybe provoking him wasn’t a good idea after all.

“You piece of shit…!”

“Ichiban…?!”

* * *

 

Shindou looked out the window of the cabin. To his bad luck, he couldn’t see anything but the raindrops pelting against the glass. He jumped when more cannons were fired. It didn’t help that the thunder scared him sometimes too. He gritted his teeth. He needed to find a way out. He needed to make sure Tsurugi was okay.

A loud crash caught him by surprise and he was pushed onto the floor from the force. Debris of what used to be part of the cabin’s wall covered him. Shindou rubbed his sore forearms from the sudden fall. His eyes widened when he saw what the stray cannonball had given him—an exit.

He crawled through the hole and into the rain and chaos outside. Immediately, his clothes (that he borrowed from Tsurugi) were drenched and he shivered from the bitter cold. He looked around, carefully dodging stray swordfights. How stupid was he, walking into a battlefield armless? Seeing a dropped blade, he quickly grasped it for precaution, jumping out of the way of two men battling as he did so. Shindou already knew how to fight with a sword from back when he was still a nobleman. Tsurugi himself didn’t need to teach him much—he helped sharpening his skills though and that was more than enough for Shindou.

He cut down two men who tried to get him—men from the navy, much to his surprise. Did the navy attack because they were looking for him? Takuto Shindou, the only son of the governor? If that was the case, then their crew must have not recognized him.

Shindou spun around and his eyes widened at the sight he was seeing. Tsurugi was on the floor, the blade of his enemy dangerously hanging in the air. He was about to scream, shout, run, whatever his mind told him to do—whatever he could do to save Tsurugi. But when he realized that the person who was pinning his lover down was someone he cared for and knew well, his feet immediately froze and he dropped his sword.

“Ichiban…?!”

The said navy froze. Kita turned his head and his sword crashed into the ground right next to him—and luckily it missed Tsurugi, much to the pirate’s relief. His mouth was agape, disbelief washing over him. Was this really Shindou? Was this person in front of him, who wore a shirt that was a size too big—Kita remembered Shindou had always been a size smaller than him even if they were the same age—really the Shindou he was looking for?

“Takuto…?” he called out. He stepped off of Tsurugi. His rage gone, replaced by a bittersweet feeling of longing and need. Looking into this person’s eyes, Kita _knew_ that this was Takuto Shindou, the one person he was saving—the one person he fell in love with.

Kita rushed over to him and held Shindou tightly in a hug, breathing into his hair. “It’s really you! God bless, Takuto you’re safe. _You’re safe_.” He breathed the words, so very much relieved. He was glad to have Shindou in his arms again, so glad to be able to hear his voice again. He was so glad to know Shindou was all right.

It took Shindou some time but when he snapped out of his trance, he returned Kita’s hug. He won’t admit it but he missed his friend so much too—probably not as much Kita missed him though. Pulling away from the hug, Kita held the brunet’s cheeks and looked into his eyes, smiling as he did so. “Come on, I’m taking you home.” He said. He held Shindou’s hand and started towards the planks that connected the two ships together.

The brunet gasped and resisted. “No, Ichiban, wait!” he said but his pleas couldn’t be heard from the battle cries of the others who were still fighting.

Tsurugi, who had been up and about the whole time with his sword, stepped in front of Kita’s path. This time it was his turn to glare. Kita looked annoyed by the interruption. “Move out of the way, I have no more business with you!”

The pirate smirked—yet one could still see his anger in his eyes. “I’m _sorry_ , were you leaving? Because I think you’re taking some loot that belongs to this ship with you.” He stood his ground. No way was he going to let this ‘Ichiban’ guy take away his beloved—even if he did do that to him once upon a time. But right now, he didn’t care.

“ _Excuse_ me?” Kita narrowed his eyes at the pirate. The disgust he had for these rogues all this time came back. To be honest, he didn’t hate pirates so much. He only hated this one particular pirate called Kyousuke Tsurugi for kidnapping his love.

“Kyousuke, no! I have this under control!” Shindou said, slowly starting to panic. He didn’t want another fight between these two. And he knew Tsurugi wouldn’t last long now he had that cut on his shoulder. Tsurugi didn’t seem to notice the wound he had—he probably didn’t feel the pain yet from the adrenaline.

Kita raised his eyebrows. Why was Shindou addressing that scoundrel using his first name?

“It didn’t seem like you had it under your control, Takuto.”

“How dare you speak of his name like you are his friend!” Kita barked at him, letting go of Shindou’s hand without realizing. Tsurugi smirked. “I’m not _just_ a friend, you moron. I’m his lover, the one and only!” he declared.

Kita frowned. “You’re lying!” he gritted his teeth. “How can someone like you be his lover?!” he turned to Shindou and grabbed him by his shoulders. “He’s lying right? Takuto, tell me he’s lying!” the panicked expression on his face, the look of not wanting to believe—all of it broke Shindou’s heart. The brunet averted his gaze, avoiding Kita’s eyes. He bit his lip. “I’m sorry Ichiban. I love you, I really do,” his eyes started to water but he was sure nobody noticed because of the rain. “But I love Kyousuke more. He’s the one for me. Not you,” he pushed Kita away and staggered towards Tsurugi, whispering another apology as he did.

Kita stared at the two of them. He stared at how protectively Tsurugi wrapped his arm around Shindou, how much Shindou’s face seemed to brighten when he was near Tsurugi. _“No…”_ he whispered when he realized actual tears were running amongst the raindrops on his face. This couldn’t be happening to him. ‘That… should be me…’ was the only thought he could think of.

He didn’t want to accept it. He really didn’t want to. But after seeing the happy smile on Shindou’s face as Tsurugi pecked his forehead and apologizing for locking him in the captain’s cabin, he knew that this was what Shindou wanted—to live the life of a pirate with the one he truly loved and that those two were meant to be. He didn’t have the authority to break them apart, he didn’t have the right. He had to let Shindou go—even if it felt like a sword pierced through his heart.

The attack was called off and he made his crew return to their ship. Nishinosora approached him but he dismissed him, saying that there is nothing to worry about. The blond obeyed his captain’s orders of retreat with a heavy heart.

It took quite a while to get everybody off board, enough time for the storm to subside and the sea to regain its calm. Tsurugi looked around and he cringed at how much damage his ship took. ‘This is going to take a long time to repair. Where’s the closest dock, I need a map.’ But he didn’t get a chance to return to his cabin when Kita called for him, requesting a parley. Hesitant, he accepted anyway.

* * *

 

“My apologies for the damage I have caused to your ship,” Kita said, once the three of them gathered on the now empty deck. Tsurugi made his crew go away and into the belly of the ship. The captain of _The Lancelot_ scratched the back of his neck. “There’s no need for an apology, mate. This old boat’s been through worse.”

Kita chuckled. “I suppose you’re right about that. I’m surprised it hasn’t sunken yet,” he sweat dropped when Tsurugi shot him a glare for the comment. “A-Anyways,” he cleared his throat. His eyes locked with Shindou again and for a moment the brunet could’ve sworn he saw a glimmer of pain in those beautiful eyes. Shindou felt his heart turn heavy from guilt. He wished there was a way to make it up to Kita.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come back?” Kita asked with a smile. Shindou knew it was a fake. The brunet stepped closer to Tsurugi—who wrapped an arm around Shindou’s waist—and nodded his head. “I’m sure.”

Kita stared into his eyes. He didn’t need to question the brunet anymore. Shindou’s eyes already showed how determined and confident he was with his answer. Kita let out a sigh and a small chuckle. “Didn’t think you’d answer something else in the first place,” he closed his eyes and scratched the back of his head. ‘Like maybe you changed your mind and wanted to be with me instead,’ he thought solemnly. “Now the only problem is how am I supposed to tell your family about this?”

Something flashed across Shindou’s face—a look of realization. “My family! How are they? They’re fine, right?” he asked. Suddenly the thought that maybe his mom and dad weren’t doing well scared him. What if one of them was sick?

“Your family is fine—physically, of course. They were terrified when the maids told them you were kidnapped.”

“Oh.” Shindou felt another pang of guilt for leaving his parents. After all, he was their only child. They must be heartbroken. “Um, what happened after I left?” he thought the word ‘left’ was more appropriate now instead of ‘kidnapped’, since he was standing there on the ship willingly without being forced.

Kita tipped his hat a little in amusement. “I got worried when you were late. When I was about to head to your place to see what was holding you up, one of your maids came rushing to me. She told me a pirate,” his eyes flickered to Tsurugi for a brief moment before quickly returning to Shindou, “kidnapped you.”

“I see… Well, I’m glad my parents are okay,” Shindou smiled slightly. “And I’m sorry for all the trouble you had to go through for my sake.” Kita waved his hand at his apology. “There’s no need to be sorry. I volunteered to look for you, after all.”

The brunet drew in a sharp breath. He felt so guilty for leaving Kita when the other loved him this much—to the point he would chase after him in a storm. But it was all too late now; Shindou fell in love with another one and a pirate on top of that. Kita could read Shindou’s emotions well; he had been friends with him for a long time. He sighed at his own luck—maybe there would be a next time, maybe there won’t. “I guess I’ll be taking my leave now,” he excused himself. But he was stopped by a hand pulling on his wrist. Shindou was looking at him with frightened eyes. “You… Are you really letting us go?”

Kita found him nodding and pried Shindou’s hand away from his wrist. “But, this counts as cooperating with pirates! If you go back they’ll… they’ll hang you!” the thought horrified Shindou so much he was on the verge of tears. Kita wasn’t going to do this, was he? Kita wasn’t going to sacrifice his life for them, right? Tsurugi’s eyes widened. He only remembered about that law when Shindou brought it up.

The navy averted his gaze from Shindou. A lump formed in his throat and all of a sudden he found it hard to speak. “I don’t mind, if it’s for you,” he croaked. His eyes were stinging—tears were trying to fall again. He didn’t let them. He had enough tears for one day.

“I can’t let that happen! How can I live the rest of my life, knowing that I had been the reason my precious friend was hanged?!”

_Friend—_ nothing more, nothing less. Kita was a friend to him—it would be a miracle if Shindou actually thought of him as more. Kita’s lips formed a smile. Maybe he was bewildered that he was willingly sending himself to the noose or maybe Shindou had called him a precious friend instead of _just_ a friend—whatever reason behind Kita’s smile, all he knew was that it was going to be his last.

He raised his hand and did a small wave as a goodbye, eyes locked on the floorboards beneath him. ‘Great quality wood,’ he thought to himself. No wonder _The Lancelot_ was a great ship. Plus, it had a great captain and crew to go with it too. Kita boarded his ship. He heard Shindou calling out his name, telling him to come back. The navy turned around and withdrew his sword. The only thing connecting his ship and _The Lancelot_ left was a sturdy looking rope—probably tied by one of his crew. He couldn’t care much about the details now.

“Ichiban! Ichiban, are you even listening to me?!” Shindou was crying again. He hated it when _he_ was the reason Shindou cried. It happened before on his first assignment as navy years back. There had been a horrible storm the night he left their town and he heard from Shindou’s parents he could barely eat during the days Kita was still at sea—worrying too much for his safety. When he came back, the brunet had jumped into his arms in tears. ‘How ironic,’ Kita thought to himself. ‘The first time he cried for me, I returned to him from the sea. The last time, I’m leaving him on the sea.’

The two ships were already drifting into their separate directions. That one single rope was the only thing that kept either of them from moving further apart. “Ichiban!” Shindou cried out, gripping what used to be the rails of _The Lancelot_. “Please, don’t do this!” his voice cracked and his shoulders shook. Begging the stubborn navy seemed to be the only option he had left. Tsurugi wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He didn’t know what to do other than comforting his lover. Joining Shindou’s efforts to stop Kita had been considered but Tsurugi knew almost nothing about the green eyed man. If he said something wrong, he would definitely make things worse.

“I’m sorry,” the navy uttered slowly, raising his sword above his head. For the last time, he gathered enough courage to look at him in the eye. Those eyes he had always loved, he made sure to remember them and cherish the memories he had made in the short amount of time he had spent with Shindou ever since their first meeting as teenagers. He smiled fondly at a memory of Shindou laughing with him. A smile definitely suited the brunet better than those tears. The sword came down and cut the last thing connecting them together. Kita could’ve sworn his heart snapped with it.

_“Live happily for me, okay?”_

* * *

 

They managed to get the ship to the nearest port by the time the sun set and the stars shone. It was hard with the damages _The Lancelot_ had taken but they made through. Tsurugi had his crew go to the nearest pub they could find in the fairly large town where they could drown themselves in rum. After he went to a doctor to treat the wound on his shoulder, he took Shindou to an inn to rest—sleeping the night in _The Lancelot_ was a big no. The brunet’s eyes were scarlet from crying too much. And he had been quiet too, ever since the navy ship left them in the middle of the waves. Tsurugi didn’t dare say a word to the other man—he literally had no idea what to say to comfort him.

The very moment Shindou lay on the bed, he fell into deep slumber. He must have been so emotionally exhausted to have fallen asleep that fast. Tsurugi lay next to him, just as tired but was kept awake by his train of thought. He wanted to do something to make his lover feel better—he knew Shindou was blaming himself for Kita’s soon-to-be death. Desperate for an answer to his own dilemma, the captain barely got himself some sleep.

* * *

 

He was still quiet and didn’t eat much of his breakfast. There wasn’t much to eat anyway—hard bread, some butter and water. It took Tsurugi all of his courage to finally speak to the brunet. “Hey—uhm—so I heard that…” he tried to shape his question carefully. An idea had struck him earlier, right after he woke up from his short nap. He only needed to ask this one question to make sure the plan was actually usable. Shindou looked up from his plate with raised eyebrows though his face showed no other expression—perhaps maybe a hint of confusion to why a bold pirate such as Tsurugi would hesitate to say something. “What is it?” he croaked, his voice dry from not drinking anything. He reached for the glass of water.

Tsurugi closed his eyes and pinched his temple. It was now or never. “I heard that if someone from the government commits a crime they’ll get a proper trial. Is that true?” usually if the government caught pirates for crime they’d send the ruffians to the noose in less than 24 hours without a proper trial. He heard rumours of some non-pirates committing crimes and were given proper trials that lasted for seven days tops. He hoped the rumours were more to fact than fiction.

A hum and a slow nod came from Shindou. He didn’t look all that bothered by the question than Tsurugi had thought he’d be. The pirate’s face lit up at his lover’s answer. He didn’t realize he wore a slightly bigger than usual smile on his face as Shindou looked at him in a bemused manner and asked, “Why the sudden inquiry?” the pirate had always been full of surprises. The brunet had no doubt this was going to be just as surprising as the time Tsurugi revealed to him he was friends with a beautiful and harmless—she was actually dangerous without her realizing it—mermaid with a lovely singing voice. He recalled her name to be Aoi and she was innocent, truly innocent—and so very kind too. Finding a mermaid like her was almost impossible since most were arrogant, but not her. He and Aoi warmed up quickly because of her friendliness and having a mermaid for a friend was a great thing indeed.

Shindou waited for an answer from the other man. But Tsurugi merely stood up from his seat and put on his boots. The brunet quickly followed suit. “Where are you going?” he asked, slowly panicking. What type of _brilliant_ scheme had he brewed up this time? Tsurugi looked at him and his smile turned into a soft one. “You can follow me if you want to know.”

* * *

 

The walk wasn’t short nor was it long. It was a fair distance away from the inn they had stayed in. Both also came across some of Tsurugi’s crew members, who were either hitting on the ladies or emptying bottles of rum. Some were even playing poker in a group.

Tsurugi brought him to another port in the town which had fewer ships than the port they docked in. They were walking side by side, their hands casually brushing from time to time but Shindou barely noticed. He was too engrossed in the thought of Kita. He prayed to whatever God was out there that the judge and jury would spare his life. And it didn’t help when he remembered that Kita’s ship was almost as fast as _The Lancelot_ —which meant that he would be in a prison cell by now, awaiting his trial in court. Shindou felt all the tears coming back to his eyes. His nose was burning when he felt a hand on his chin that made him look up. Tsurugi kissed him softly and wiped away a teardrop with his thumb. “We’re here,” he said.

Shindou looked around with a sniff. He raised his hand to wipe his eyes. They were standing in front of a large ship—a ship that seemed to shine a bright gold in the Sun. It was beautiful, really beautiful. The most beautiful ship Shindou had ever seen, he had to admit. And he wasn’t kidding too when he said the ship seemed to shine—it really was shining. “Wow…” he sighed, amazed by the beauty.

“This is _Amaterasu_ , the finest ship in the seven seas,” Tsurugi started. This wasn’t his first time seeing the ship—after all; he was friends with the captain. Shindou looked up at him. “What business do you have with the ship?”

“Oh, not with the ship. The captain,” Tsurugi pointed to a figure standing on the ledge of the ship. The figure jumped off the ledge and landed gracefully in front of them. Shindou had to suppress a gasp—this woman was the captain of this ship? Female pirates weren’t unheard of but Shindou didn’t even know a female was capable of commanding a whole crew. This was certainly a surprise to him—and she was really pretty too.

“Tsurugi-kun! I’ve been meaning to see you ever since I saw your ship dock at the other port but it looks like you beat me to it!” the woman greeted with a cheerful grin. Tsurugi gave her a nod and ruffled Shindou’s hair. “Kinako, this is Takuto Shindou, my lover. Takuto, this is Kinako Nanobana, captain of _Amaterasu_ ,” he introduced them to each other. Kinako giggled in a cute manner and outstretched her hand to hold his. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shindou-kun! You’re really good looking, no wonder Tsurugi-kun fell in love with you!” she started to shake their hands up and down with a grin.

The brunet was slightly dazed by her friendliness—and there was a tint of pink on his cheeks from the compliment. “Y-Yeah, it’s a pleasure to meet you too,” what an eccentric personality she had. He wondered how she and Tsurugi became friends in the first place—they were like the North and South poles; personalities that really contradict each other. “Oh, right!” she suddenly stopped and turned to look at Tsurugi, still holding Shindou’s hand. “What is it that you came here for? It’s not like you to drop a visit,” she pointed, resulting in a small vein pop on Tsurugi’s cheek. The pirate coughed to regain his composure. “I need your help. I was thinking of borrowing your ship and some of your crew today for a quest.”

His request aroused interest and confusion in the other two. A peculiar request, one not suited for a person like him. Kinako looked like she was deep in thought. She wanted to ask him why he needed her ship but she remembered his own ship was damaged badly and immediately closed her mouth again. There must be a reason why he needed the ship right now instead of waiting until _The Lancelot_ finished its repairs. Why else would _the_ Kyousuke Tsurugi ask for her ship? “Well, I can lend it to you only if I’m onboard too. My crew members aren’t the type of kids who would leisurely follow someone else’s orders,” she found herself scratching her cheek and sweat dropped. She didn’t question his motive yet though.

Tsurugi nodded his head, telling her he didn’t mind. He didn’t plan on being captain for the day in the first place—he just needed a really fast ship and a great crew. Shindou pulled on his sleeve and stared right into his face with eyebrows furrowed. “Where are you going?” he asked. Tsurugi turned his head from Kinako to him. “Not me. We.”

“Huh?” Shindou felt even more confused. He didn’t recall Tsurugi ever telling him they were going somewhere today— _today_ , of all days—and moreover he didn’t exactly felt like going on a trip right now. Not with the knowledge that Kita was waiting for his death in a cell. Knowing Tsurugi, the pirate might have planned some trip to somewhere to cheer him up and let his mind think about other things.

“We’re going to save your friend from the law.”

… Did Shindou hear him right? He could’ve sworn he heard Tsurugi say ‘save’ and ‘friend’ in one sentence. Could it be that the pirate was referring to…?! His brown orbs widened when Tsurugi smirked at his expression. He felt his heart drop and his eyes started to water again. No way, was Tsurugi really talking about saving Kita from his death? But Tsurugi never lied to him. Tsurugi always kept his promises to him, even the smallest promises that didn’t seem to matter. Shindou buried his face in Tsurugi’s chest—damn this man for being taller than him—and cried again as Tsurugi hugged him and comforted him. He was so happy to have fallen for a man like him. He wouldn’t want anybody other than Kyousuke Tsurugi.

* * *

 

_“Ichiban Kita, I sentence you to death by public hanging. It will be held tomorrow when the Sun is at its peak. Now tell me young man, do you regret your decision to cooperate with these kidnappers?”_

_“It’s sad to say apparently I don’t regret it, your honour. And I feel like I never will.”_

Kita sighed, alone in his prison cell. He was sure by now his mother was crying her eyes out and his father was insulting him every chance he could with all the nasty words in existence. Since his father also boasted on his wide knowledge of many languages, he had no doubt that his father was also insulting him in all of the languages he knew. Indeed, Kita felt like the stupidest human being in existence right now. What a terrible week he had—rejected by his only love, disappointed his family and was going to die tomorrow in _public_. God, what more humiliation was he going to give his family name? Wait, he forgot about Shindou’s family. They had been very happy to see his ship, thinking their son was with him too. They were heartbroken when he told them the truth. The _real_ truth, not the twisted truth he told his family and in court. It felt right to tell them what really happened, anyway. They had the right to know. He silently wondered how many more people he would disappoint in the period of 24 hours he had left. It felt like a miracle if anybody would actually protest his sentence tomorrow other than his crew.

“At least the last thing you can be proud of is the fact you managed to save your men,” Kita lay on the cold hard floor, still in his navy clothes and talked to himself. His captain hat covered his face. This was his second night in this cell and he was surprised he managed to accustom to it this fast—despite the putrid smell and bare lighting. The trial earlier noon that had been given to him went shorter than expected. His crew were originally sentenced to death too but he managed to convince the jury his crew had nothing to do with his decision to ‘cooperate with pirates’ and they had actually tried to convince him to do otherwise before he ordered them to back down from their attack. Instead of death, they were sentenced to a few years in prison. At least they still had some things to live for. What did he have? Family? Love? Money? Neither of those. He was disowned, rejected and was now broke. Death seemed like the best path for him now. He didn’t even have any dignity left—news of a nobleman’s son who had a bright future in the navy going to the noose for helping pirates would spread around the land fast.

Kita wondered what Shindou would be doing right now. Perhaps mourn for him in the pirate’s arms. The chances of the thought being true made him groan. He rolled onto his side. Never in his life had he thought to be locked up in a prison cell with a heartbreak and death awaiting him. All of this time he had thought—and _believed_ —that he would spend a happy life with the one he loved dearly.

“Well that went down the drain,” he muttered to himself with another sigh. Perhaps he should have a good night’s rest, after all it would be his last. Kita closed his eyes and wondered why he still felt at ease even though he knew he was going to die tomorrow before falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

 

“Is everybody ready?” Kinako, with her hands on her hips, asked.

“You betcha, Captain!” the most enthusiastic of her crew, a young man with white hair and purple eyes, answered on behalf of the others.

Kinako smiled at him. “Good! Tsurugi-kun, my crew and I will go ahead. Don’t take too long!” she turned her head as she jogged to the others and nodded at him.

“Got it,” the younger pirate nodded back. Tsurugi averted his gaze to Shindou again, who was on a horse.

“Please be careful, Kyousuke,” the brunet reminded with furrowed eyebrows.

Tsurugi let a small smile onto his face. “I know. I will.”

Shindou bent down, for once appreciating the fact he was taller than Tsurugi—even if he was cheating by sitting on a horse. The pirate held his cheek and rose to his tiptoes just so their lips could meet. Tsurugi smirked into the kiss, silently thinking to himself that this was what it felt like if their positions were reversed.

They parted and that was when Tsurugi saw the genuine fear in Shindou’s eyes—the fear of losing him. Something clicked inside his heart. Now all he wanted to do was pull Shindou off the horse and into his arms, comfort him and tell him it’ll all be okay. But instead he held the other’s hand tightly and kissed it repeatedly—almost as if to ensure his own heart that it’ll be alright. Tsurugi looked up again, gazing right into Shindou’s eyes before he pulled away and quickly chased after the group who had long since left them. Shindou waited a few seconds, watching Tsurugi disappearing from his sight before he swerved his horse towards the opposite direction, breaking into a gallop.

They both decided against goodbyes.

* * *

 

The guard opened the gate to his cell and Kita obediently followed when he gestured for the navy to come out. There was another guard with the one that opened the gate. Both had their hats down and Kita could barely see their faces. In fact, the only thing he saw was their jaw lines. The second guard cuffed his hands although really, Kita thought the precaution wasn’t needed. He had no plans of escape—not a strand hope.

They escorted him through the back door of the prison—not that Kita noticed in the first place. He was more worried about the shadow he saw when they rounded a corner to get away from his cell. It was just a glimpse but Kita swore he saw something.

Come to think of it, the guards didn’t lock the gate after he left.

* * *

 

A crowd had formed in the town square when the Sun neared its peak. Majority of the people gathered were eager to see another ‘pirate’ hanged. Pirates in this town had a bad reputation after all and thus it didn’t take the new government long for them to gain control over the place. The crowd was even bigger by the time the Sun burned at its highest point and this time it consisted of many aristocrats too—who were mostly there to make fun of the Kita family. They weren’t fond of the head of the family at all—he was snobby, greedy, rude, a braggart and simply cared only for himself. It was a wonder his son didn’t turn out like him. Perhaps the child took more from his mother than his father.

“Serves that old geezer right, having his son hanged in public. I’m telling ya, the family won’t show up at all. They couldn’t possibly take the humiliation.”

“Hah! If I were them I’d pack my things and leave this dump. That’ll be an easy feat for them, with all the money overflowing in their pockets.”

Two of the men—fairly plump to say the least—started to converse. What a brilliant day it was for them, having the privilege to witness the son of the man they hated the most killed by the noose many others had knew death from.

The crowd were hushed when the officials arrived with the prisoner. He was brought to the steps of the execution dock. The woods creaked as a buffed man waited for the said prisoner to walk up the stairs. A black bag made of cloth covered his head. Someone from the navy read the prisoner’s crimes out loud for the public to hear. All was silent. The executioner removed the black bag and that was when Hell broke loose.

“That’s not the son of the Kita family!” a man among the aristocrats shouted, pointing with his cane. Indeed, he spoke the truth. It wasn’t Ichiban Kita standing under the gallows—it was Kyousuke Tsurugi.

Screams erupted here and there. The buff executioner himself was so surprised; he fell off the dock and into the enraged crowd. Obviously terrified because who _didn’t_ know the famous—infamous in this town—Captain Kyousuke Tsurugi? The navy came, ready to break fire but they were surprised when the prison guards—clad in their custom tailored uniform—counterattacked them. One by one their long hats fell and instantly the navy troops realized the prison guards were actually pirates in disguise. Among them, a woman, jumped onto the execution dock and broke Tsurugi free of his chains. Some among the troop gasped— _“Kinako Nanobana’s here too?!”_

There was a smirk on his face as he was given his sword and a bright smile gleamed on the woman’s face. They knew their reputation here. They knew they were wanted by the government. And they were going to teach them a good lesson about messing with pirates’ sea.

Nobody, however, actually gave their time to stop and wonder where the real prisoner was.

* * *

 

Kita noted it wasn’t so far from noon, according to the Sun’s position. For the first time since he was locked here, he finally had a taste of real warmth and light from nature’s light bulb. The two guards led him further and further away from the prison. It didn’t take Kita long to realize the path they were taking him through led nowhere near the town square, where he was due at. He pulled from their grasp and stepped back. The two guards gasped. Kita had done something they had not expected and they were startled to say the least.

“Where are you taking me?” Kita hissed. One of the guards chuckled while the other rested his hand on his hip. Kita caught a smile on the latter’s lips. Simultaneously they both took off their hats. Kita’s eyebrows rose—he had never seen them before and they were definitely not the guards who escorted him into his cell yesterday.

“The name’s Giris. He’s Saryuu, but we call him Saru. The two of us were just doing the job we were told to do—take you to safety,” the one with curly hair explained. He wore glasses and looked refined. The other had white hair and deep purple eyes. Not much could be made from his looks alone. “ _We?_ ” Kita repeated. Did this mean there were more than just the two of them? He felt alarmed. He could probably take two with cuffed hands but not more of them—cut the crap about taking him to safety. Why should he place his faith in their hands just because they broke him from his prison cell?

Giris seemed to understand him. “Yes, _‘we’_ , a whole ship of us.”

“A pirate ship, to be exact.” Saru added, looking smug.

Kita felt even more confused as his eyes widened. “Why would pirates help me?” he asked but then the two of them pulled him by his forearms forward and ignored his question. “We can’t waste anymore time. The others would come soon,” Giris said as he and Saru quickened their steps. Soon they were jogging. Later they were running. Kita felt inclined to keep up with them even though he was against the idea of following them wherever they were taking him. He was about to get used to the speed when they skidded to a sudden halt. “From this point on someone else will escort you,” Saru, barely taking deep breaths, pointed to a figure on a horse. The animal shook its long head and trotted towards them upon the command of its wielder. The man on the horse wore nothing more than a white shirt, black pants and brown boots. Kita didn’t need to wait for the horse to come close for him to recognize the rider.

_“Takuto?”_ he said, almost with disbelief. However no time was wasted as Giris removed his cuffs and he was made to climb up the horse by Saru, sitting behind Shindou. He didn’t even get a chance to say anything once he mounted—the horse started galloping almost instantly and he wrapped his arms around Shindou’s body for support, knowing he would fall if he didn’t.

They rode for a long while and the wind slapped his cheeks every time they shifted from trotting to galloping and then trotting again. Kita barely noticed the blue sea beside them as they rode through the wind and it took him some moments later to notice the sounds of crashing waves. When they halted to a stop, he realized Shindou brought them to the very end of the seashore—where the sand stopped at a rocky cliff. He didn’t, however, noticed the lone boat resting in between the waves.

“Takuto, what’s the meaning of this?” Kita asked once he was off the horse. Shindou hadn’t said a word to him yet and he would really love some answers. But the brunet—immediately after dismounting the horse—pulled Kita into a tight embrace instead, burying his face into Kita’s shoulder. The navy was shocked and he thought of how long it had been since the two of them shared any physical contact. Slowly he found himself returning the embrace. Kita realized Shindou was trembling—so lightly that it was only noticeable if one paid attention.

“You’re an idiot,” Shindou started and pounded his fist softly against Kita’ back. “You’re a really big idiot. I can’t believe you willingly surrendered yourself for me.” Shindou pulled back and Kita saw the tears in his eyes. The navy had a smile on his face as he wiped the tears away. “It couldn’t be helped.” Kita said. There was a small pout on Shindou’s face and Kita chuckled.

* * *

 

The following events that came afterwards were a blur to Kita. Shindou had explained about this escape plan being Tsurugi’s idea and Kita remembered feeling touched. Perhaps pirates weren’t as bad as he was made to believe. Aboard _Amaterasu_ , he was reunited with his crew—who Saru, Giris and a girl called Meia broke free from their prison cells. They were delighted to see him—Nishinosora said all of them believed Kita had already been sent to the gallows and were happy to hear the news that he was saved first. Kita replied with how great it was to see them again too.

He remembered the relief when Tsurugi and Kinako boarded not long after with the rest of _Amaterasu_ ’s children. He remembered the jealousy when Shindou ran into Tsurugi’s arms for a kiss. He remembered the guilt when Tsurugi winced and said the bandage on his shoulder came loose during their escapade. He remembered the surprise when Kinako had Fey—she said among her crew he was the only one that could read, write and count for he received proper education from his uncle, who was a scholar—tie it back up for him.

Pirates weren’t all that bad, after all.

They were going to dock at a port on a faraway island, pirate territory. Shindou called him to the bridge and when he got there, the brunet pointed towards a dark shape—barely visible from their distance. But he soon came to realize the silhouette was that of a ship—and it was no other than his ship, the same one he used to pursue _The Lancelot_. Kita gasped in shock. He turned to Tsurugi, who had just walked up the bridge to join them, and asked, “How on Earth did it get here?” 

“Got a friend do it for me. Didn’t think he’d get the ship here this fast.” Tsurugi did a low whistle, as if he was impressed. And he was for he had thought they would dock at the port first instead of his friend with Kita’s ship towed behind his ship. Kita was relieved when their feet touched the hard wood that made up the port. He didn’t know how much time had passed since his rescue—the Sun nearly touched the horizon. The warmth of the setting Sun felt so good against his skin—he didn’t realize how much he missed it after two days spending time in the dark prison cells.

He requested to know where he was and Shindou gave him a map of the sea, showing him they were in a town on a small island. And it was a pirate town, to say the least, so Kita got dirty looks from nearly all the drunken pirates there for his navy uniform until they scurried away in fright from Tsurugi’s menacing glare—even if Tsurugi himself was still wearing the navy uniform he stole for the escape plan. Kita wanted to thank him but didn’t get a chance when a cheerful cry broke the almost pressuring silence.

“Tsurugi! Tsurugi, over here!” a fairly small figure was running down the port, with his arm waving from side to side, effectively attracting the attention of everybody there. He wouldn’t have needed to shout in the first place, the clothes he was wearing could already attract a lot of eyes from a crowd. Kita knew instantly that he was a pirate—a rich captain of a ship, he’d bet from the strings of gold around his neck.

Tsurugi’s face went pale if it was possible with his skin complexion and Kita heard him say, “Wait, Tenma! Don’t-!” before he was knocked off his feet by the very cheery pirate. Everyone around him laughed and Kita couldn’t help but to join in. Saru’s laugh was by far the loudest but he stopped immediately when Fey knocked his head with the back of his pistol. “Ow! What’s that for?!”

“Sorry, I thought you were going to change into a gorilla from the way you were laughing. I wouldn’t mind though, you’ll finally be able to live up to your name!”

He remembered Giris telling him earlier the two were always arguing but rarely deathly ways were involved. It was always insults, disagreements or who the better one was. Kita tuned them out. He didn’t think he could stop himself from sniggering at their childishness.

The pirate who jumped onto Tsurugi grinned cheekily before he stood and helped the other—and taller—one up. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” the brown haired pirate bellowed. Kinako giggled from behind Tsurugi—it was only then did the pirate Tsurugi called ‘Tenma’ earlier notice her. His eyes seemed to sparkle and Kita noticed they resembled the deep ocean. “Kinako!”

“Ahoy, Tenma-kun!” the woman winked. “Thanks for towing the ship for us!” she said. Tsurugi grunted and straightened his clothes. Tenma looked like he was about to throw himself over Tsurugi again when the taller pirate lifted his hand in front of his face. “Shoulder. Injured. No more hugging,” he said it all so quickly it was a wonder Tenma froze in his position. Kita’s eyes trailed to Shindou, who spoke, “Is this the friend you were talking about, Kyousuke?”

Suddenly Shindou found Tenma’s index finger pointed at his nose. “You called Tsurugi by his first name!” his tone made him sound amazed and his eyes were wide. “Tsurugi doesn’t let even let me do that anymore,” he continued when suddenly he jerked back. It looked like something had hit him, when really the only thing that hit him was realization. He was smirking and Tsurugi had a bad feeling. “I see! So you’re Tsurugi’s special person now!” when Tenma said it, Shindou’s cheeks turned bright pink and he was immediately silent. Kita forced a smile on his face when their eyes met.

“Tenma, were you drinking?” Tsurugi asked coldly, glaring at the brunet. “May… be?” a sly grin on his face as he sat on a barrel. “Ranmaru and I were just goofing around in the cabin when Sasuke started barking, signalling us you arrived,” there was a hiccup and Tsurugi noticed he dragged his words.

“No wonder he’s extraordinarily cheerful,” Kinako noted. She returned from ushering her crew—and Kita’s—to walk around as the captains held a sort of ‘meeting’. “Kirino-kun should remember he has a low alcohol tolerance.”

“Aww Kinako, it was only a wee bit of rum!”

“Three bottles, I bet. Five even, maybe.”

“Impossible. I know him better. This is probably only a small cup—if he had a whole bottle it’ll be like ten big bottles of rum for me.”

“Tsurugi, you’re mean!”

“Haven’t I always been mean?”

“U-Um, excuse me…” Kita started with a sweat drop on his head. He really would like to have his ship back now. But then where could he go? Ah, unless… Yes, heading towards that place didn’t seem like a bad idea. All heads turned to him and Kita momentarily forgot what he wanted to say. “Can I have my ship back?” he blurted out, in which he thought was stupid.

“Oh, oh, sure! You must be the guy they saved!” Tenma staggered to his feet and even in his drunken state he had a pretty good control over his own body. He outstretched a hand and Kita shook it. “Captain Tenma Matsukaze, pleasure to meet you sir…?”

“Kita. Ichiban Kita,”

“Right, Kita! Come; follow me I’ll take you to your ship! Are you leaving later on tonight? Do you need some help with supplies?”

And with that the brunet dragged the speechless navy away from the group of captains, leaving only the trio behind. Kinako soon left too, saying something about looking around the island—sightseeing, more or less. Shindou cleared his throat. “Well, that was something…” he started. There was a hum and a nod from Tsurugi. “You two look pretty close,” Shindou continued. It had bothered him slightly how easily the other pirate ‘attacked’ Tsurugi without caring if he was going to get mad or not.

“Well, yeah, he _is_ my childhood friend.” Tsurugi crossed his arms, still staring at the direction Tenma and Kita disappeared into. A few other people were on the port as well, obscuring his view occasionally.

Shindou’s breath hitched. Suddenly he remembered that one night where Tsurugi told him his lover before him was his childhood friend that had brown hair and blue eyes deep like the ocean. It was obviously Tenma. It was so obviously Tenma. Shindou stared at his shoes, suddenly feeling insecure and afraid. He felt an arm around his shoulder, pulling him, and looked up into Tsurugi’s eyes. There was a smirk that Shindou sometimes found hot and sometimes found he really wanted to punch it off his face. This was one of the times the latter option was more appealing. “Worried about him?” the pirate asked. Tsurugi had somehow read his mind, Shindou knew that. Reluctantly he nodded. There was a chuckle.

“You can stop worrying then. Tenma has his own lover to take care of now—or rather be it the other way around.” Tsurugi pressed his lips softly against Shindou’s. The brunet leaned into the kiss, grateful for the privacy they had from their friends.

* * *

 

“Are you really going this soon?” Shindou asked Kita, who had changed out of his navy uniform—“ _Burn them, if you please,”_ —and was now wearing what pirates would wear, nodded his head. “There’s a place I wanted to go to for a very long time,” he said, pulling on the sleeves of his shirt.

Tsurugi stood beside Shindou, only slightly to the back. Kinako and Tenma stood in a row behind Tsurugi. There was a pink haired man with turquoise eyes standing among them; his hand was linked with Tenma’s _—“That’s Ranmaru Kirino, son of a merchant. Quite a long story how they got together, I’ll tell it to you some other night,”_ Tsurugi whispered to Shindou when the brunet first saw them together. 

Kita’s ship was already loaded—it was the goodbyes left. The crew didn’t mind about them turning into pirates—although some did leave the ship because the idea bothered them—Kita had been worried sick all of them would leave. Luckily barely a handful left. The pirates’ treatment to them had definitely changed their perspective on pirates.

“I didn’t think it was possible for someone from the navy to turn to piracy.” Kita remarked. “Well, you’re living proof aren’t you?” Shindou countered back with a smile. His friend nodded and did a smile too. Kita turned to Tsurugi and made a slight bow. “Thank you for your help so far, I wouldn’t be standing here if not for your assistance.”

“Need I remind you I did this for Takuto,” from the way Tsurugi had said it he definitely wanted to sound rude but the smile on his face blew his cover. Kita laughed. “Of course, of course,” he tied his effects around his waist and shook hands with Tsurugi afterwards. “Many thanks to you lot as well,” he said to the small group behind Tsurugi—Kinako for assisting Tsurugi to save him, Tenma for towing his boat and Kirino mainly for prying the brunet captain off of him earlier when he wouldn’t let go because of his drunken state.

“And I believe I still haven’t thanked you properly yet.” Kita turned to Shindou. He looked mighty cheery for someone who was still suffering from heartbreak. “There’s no need to—I didn’t do much in the first place.” Shindou replied in a modest tone. He was beaming. Kita’s smile was contagious, he had to admit.

There was a yelp—it had all happened so fast and within a blink of an eye Kita had dipped Shindou and kissed him on the lips. The brunet’s face was a bright shade of red; he hadn’t expected this at all. Shindou could’ve sworn he heard Tsurugi yell a curse. A moment later Kita straightened them together, a sly smirk on his face. He whispered into Shindou’s ears, “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that,” causing the brunet’s blush to grow darker.

“Y-You-! Stay away from him!” Tsurugi had his arms clasped by Kirino and Kinako, while Tenma tried to reason with Tsurugi. He looked pretty mad and was startled when Kita pointed a finger at him. “I really thank you for saving my life and all—because now I realized I do have a reason to live,” he smiled in a way that Tsurugi interpreted as trouble. “And that’s to take back what was mine,” there must have been a look of confusion on Tsurugi’s face because Kita continued with a smirk. “Kyousuke Tsurugi, you are now officially my rival for Takuto’s love.”

“WHAT?!” spat the pirate, in sync with his lover, Shindou. “Rival? What do you mean, _rival?_ ” Tsurugi hissed. “I still have a chance. Takuto said so himself—he loves me, but he loves you more. Now all I have to do is to increase his love for me, right? Then I can steal him away from you, like how _you_ stole him away from _me_ ,” he thought he had imagined it but there really was a tune of happiness in Kita’s voice. Where did the navy that was about to be hanged to death go? Tsurugi wished _that_ Kita would come back right now. He didn’t like this new one. He didn’t like pirate Ichiban Kita.

Shindou didn’t even know what to say in this situation. It was true, he did love Kita but he didn’t think Kita would go this far after learning the truth! The brunet remained speechless, his lips still tingly from Kita’s kiss—their first kiss together. He didn’t realize Kita was already boarding his ship, where his crew was cheering for his declaration of rivalry. He didn’t even notice when Kita winked at Tsurugi and the other pirate was taken aback—his cheeks suddenly pink. He only came out of his trance when he heard Kita call out his name.

“Takuto! I’m coming back for you!” everyone could hear the joy in his cheers.

Later on that night, Tsurugi had continuously kissed Shindou—sometimes to the point both of them went out of breath. When inquired why, Tsurugi said he wanted to remove all traces of Kita’s kiss and repeatedly said Shindou was his with every kiss he laid upon the brunet’s body. This made the brunet chuckle and he said to Tsurugi, “I can’t believe you guys. I’m not a prize to be won.”

“Unfortunately until one of us gives up, you are.”

* * *

 

Most of the crew were brought to shore on a peculiar looking island. Kita told them to look for fresh water supply and he made Nishinosora take in charge while he was gone. When the blond asked him where he was going, Kita replied with, “There’s something here that I’ve been looking for.”

His walk didn’t take long. Rounding a boulder, Kita immediately saw what he had been searching for—a shipwreck from years and years ago, lying on top of two other big rocks. The sea was serene; the ripples of crashing waves soothed him. He smiled to himself and quickly made his way to the ruins.

Once he was inside the shipwreck, the floorboards creaked with every step he took and going into the captain’s cabin he saw the place had been decorated heavily by spiders. Kita coughed and through the one ray of sunshine coming from a crack in the wall, he saw sitting on one edge of a dining table a skeleton-like dead body in pirate wear.

“Hello,  _father_. Mother has told me a lot about you.”

In fact when he was younger, a child perhaps five years old, his mother hadn’t told him about his real father. Instead she told him a story of a pirate and a woman who fell in deep love but to their misfortune a man from a noble family had fallen in love with the woman and refused to let her go even if she didn’t love him back. Both men engaged in battle and to the pirate’s shame, he lost and the woman was made to marry the selfish aristocrat.

The pirate, heartbroken and ashamed, went to sail with his crew and never stopped sailing until their supply dried out and their ship devoured by the waves. What neither the pirate nor the aristocrat knew, however, was the fact that the woman was pregnant with the pirate’s child. It took Kita a few years later to realize that his mother was the woman in the story—all thanks to how much his ‘father’ didn’t resemble him at all and the fact that his ‘father’ was the most self-conceited man ever. And he spotted this shipwreck one day while patrolling the seas but didn’t dare go look for it would be a suspicious act. Instantly he knew it was the ship in the story because through his binoculars he saw the name of the ship carved on the starboard side— _Horizon_.

He sat on a chair, not far from his dead father. He didn’t feel sad—he wasn’t so sure if he was supposed to feel sad in the first place. It was probably because they never knew each other thus he felt neutral about all of this. He wasn’t certain why he decided to come here. “So,” Kita started and shook a bottle of what used to be rum. A smile played at his lips. “It seems like your son is in the same situation you have been. How about sparing some tips so I don’t end up getting the same result you did?”


End file.
